If you’ve watched any of the Republican primary debates, it’s possible to mistake presidential wannabee Mitt Romney as the voice of reason in that group, most of whom long ago teetered off the edge of rational discourse.

But a new chart comparing the views of Romney and Texas Gov. Rick  Perry shows that when it comes to Social Security, the nation’s most successful safety net, Romney is no better than “Social Security Is a Ponzi Scheme” Perry.

Although Romney has not used the term “Ponzi scheme,” he has called it a fraud, according to the nonprofit group Strengthen Social Security. Here’s Romney:

There simply is no [trust] “fund” safely invested somewhere….To put it in a nutshell, the American people have been effectively defrauded out of their Social Security.

Strengthen Social Security has compiled a great chart comparing the statements of Romney and Perry. The chart shows that while Romney is more cautious in his rhetoric, the substance of his attacks against Social Security is similar to what Perry says.

Romney and Perry both have suggested raising the retirement age for Social Security and both have made noises about privatizing it—that is, relegating it to the volatility of the stock market. (How’d that stock market investment work out in 2008, guys?)

Some 54 million Americans take part in Social Security—seniors, people with disabilities, children who’ve lost their parents. Social Security embodies the principle that we are all in it together and reflects the basic American values of hard work, personal responsibility, caring for family and neighbors, prudent financial management and respect for dignity and independence.

So what’s wrong with that, Romney and Perry?

Check out the chart here.